


Early Morning Hours

by Moon_Raccoon_exe



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: But mostly it's just romance, Early Mornings, Ignis is fascinated by Gladio's tattoo, Ignis wakes up too early, M/M, Morning Sex, Romance, Warning: it gets somewhat NSFW towards the end, descriptive narrative
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2019-02-11 16:33:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12939267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moon_Raccoon_exe/pseuds/Moon_Raccoon_exe
Summary: [For Gladnis Week, Day 4]Ignis wakes up too early for his own good.But why on Eos would he want to sleep, even if he could, when he had this stunning work of art on the already stunning canvas right at his side, in front of him, for him to admire?





	Early Morning Hours

The birds had either forgotten how to, or had yet not woken up to start singing. 

The silence of dawn was curious. It was different than the quiet at night, and different than the quiet of the day. It had its own color, like the sky; not blue or black, rather an incredible mixture of a wide variety of colors in constant change; from the black to the purple, going through red and orange, yellow tones, even pink here and there, before starting to eventually turn into the blue of day. Right in those moments, the sky was in that stage of constant change with no definitive color. The light that peered through the curtains was scarce, but its shape and intensity changed along the colors of the sky, both being controlled by every inch that the sun moved up. 

And said light, in constant change, also made of the ink feathers and the lines of muscle look different with each variety. It was not as obvious as it was on the colors of the sky, but the change was there; a shadow that could have been here disappeared after five minutes into the changing light of dawn, and a feather that could have been illuminated enough could have turned darker, depending on how the play of shadow and light moved on the canvas. Ignis liked to imagine that, if he could record this and if he played it at high speed forth and back, maybe the subtle change of light could make the feathers look in movement, as if though the bird was in plain flight. But he liked it like this; slow, too slow for anyone to notice as it changed, and only able to tell by comparing ‘this moment’ to ‘five’ or ‘ten’ or ‘fifteen minutes ago’. He did have as much time; he had, like usual, woken up too early.

Gladio always nagged him about his ‘caffeine overdose’, but Ignis never considered that to have any influence on his sleeping habits. He had always been an early bird, so far he remembered. That he was also becoming a night owl did not mean he was not an early bird anymore. He had to admit he got poor hours of sleep, but to him that did not matter; why on Eos would he want to sleep, even if he could, when he had this absolutely beautiful and worth-more-than-any-money-could-ever-pay canvas right at his side, in front of him, for him to admire? 

He knew that every Amicitia Shield got the tattoo when they received or were to receive the title officially, and it was always the same design. But, just like fingerprints, as similar as they can get, there are always differences. Lord Clarus’ back could have been similar in his days to his son’s, but it was not the same. Even if only one spot, or one birthmark, or one tiny scar, or one single pore, a single line in a slightly different angle, there was always a difference. No human is exactly the same than any other no matter how similar they can be, just like no Amicitia tattoo was the same than others. 

And this was one of them, a unique Amicitia, with his own tattoo, unique in its own way. And Ignis had the honor of seeing it during these lazy morning hours when neither he could nor did he want to sleep any longer. The adviser laid in bed, resting on his side, hand holding the weight of his head and curious eyes tracing every line of the tattoo drawn on the strong back in front of him. Gladiolus adored being the little spoon, so that was a vantage to Ignis, who oh so dearly adored to spend some moments staring at that wonderful back, strong like a mountain, wide like a shield, beautifully sculpted like a statue of ancient times, and stunningly painted with fine art as mark of the Amicitia.

Gladio’s back on its own was a real wonder; broad and unmovable, the strongest back Ignis had ever known. Lord Clarus was a big man himself, but nobody could compare to his son. The tattoo was like a beautiful royal gown on an already beautiful woman; it was not the reason of beauty, only a complement to it. The lady was already majestic on her own; the gown only did but give emphasis to said beauty and turn it into almost celestial art.

Gladio himself was like that beautiful goddess in her beautiful gown, but better, because he was real, and his own kind of pretty. Ignis, lying on his side and smiling all the time since he woke up to the sight, stared at all of Gladio’s body from behind, admiring it, admiring him. His hair was not like silk, like in the romance novels they sometimes read; it was soft, but not a wonder. Still, the locks of brown were exquisite like dark chocolate, and there was nothing that Ignis adored more than caressing said hair whenever Gladio dropped himself on the adviser for a nap. Even though he could not see them from that angle, he did not need that to add more to his list; his scar, the wonderful reminder of his courage and morality and loyalty. The beard that he so annoyingly (in a good way) insisted to rub against Ignis’ face and thighs, harder for each complaint Ignis gave.

Ignis’ smile grew a little and his eyes moved to the Shield’s nape. There was still a little mark of a bite nearby it, between it and the shoulder. He felt both proud and a bit ashamed of it; he knew Gladio liked it rough, but Ignis’ urgency to take care of others made him feel a bit of guilt too. He sighed as his eyes went down to stare at the Shield’s strong, wonderfully sculpted arm. Sometimes, Ignis forgot just how built Gladio really was. The arms that could make of Gladiolus either the most loving of hugging lovers, or the roughest dominant in bed. Ignis closed the eyes and stopped breathing for a moment, controlling himself. He did not want his own arousal to interrupt his moments of admiration for Gladio’s body. Art first.

His eyes went to the tattoo again, and discovered it had changed again under the light. There were many more parts in the light now that the sun had to be halfway up, and the angle had changed some shading, at least according to how it looked when Ignis first moved back enough to look at the gorgeous canvas. The adviser took in a breath through the nose and slowly let it out; gods, how he adored looking at Gladio’s tattoo. He could do that all his life. He wanted to wake up every morning to that sight; either Gladiolus’ face in front of his own, or his tattoo exposed for him to admire. No matter how many times Ignis looked at it, how many mornings he had spent doing this, he never grew tired of staring. Gladio’s back was wonderful, Gladiolus was wonderful, his tattoo was wonderful. Ignis wished Gladiolus could see himself as the adviser saw him; maybe then, he could understand why Ignis did not even desire sleeping a little longer and why he loved the early morning hours. It was all of Gladiolus just for him to look at and appreciate.

Ignis moved his free hand closer to his boyfriend, and softly, oh so softly put a fingertip against the skin of Gladio’s back. The Shield did not react. Ignis could hear his heavy but quiet breathing of sleep. The adviser could not help a smile and the thoughts when he laid a finger on Gladiolus’ skin. Gladio, as an Amicitia, was a Shield. The purpose was pretty clear; they were as their name tagged, a living shield, sometimes literally, with the duty of protecting their prince or king. Their duty was mostly physical; the body was the most primary, basic and necessary tool for an Amicitia. An Amicitia’s body protected a king; in some way, an Amicitia’s body protected the entire kingdom. Their only duty in life was to not die under any circumstance unless it was protecting the person they were sworn to. Their only duty was to not let anything happen to or touch that body.

And there Ignis was, touching an Amicitia’s body. An honor very little people could earn, an achievement not many realized was an achievement on its own; touching an Amicitia. Even more than that, touching an Amicitia while said Shield was asleep. Profoundly asleep at such early hours in the morning, Gladiolus was not even conscious of Ignis’ fingertip on him. Gladio had gone to sleep aware that Ignis was at his side and would be there while he slept; sleeping was switching off for long hours, which was any human’s most vulnerable state. While he slept, anyone that was around could do anything to him, to his so needed, so valuable and so imposing body. 

That Gladiolus slept next to him was a way of giving him that power; the power to lie beside a sleeping Amicitia, vulnerable and completely exposed for Ignis to do as he pleased, if he pleased anything…but trusting he would not. That Gladio allowed Ignis to sleep beside him so unwittingly, not even thinking about all the concept behind, was like one of the highest recognition of trust coming from an Amicitia; ‘I allow you to be nearby me in my most vulnerable and exposed state, because I trust you will do no harm’. 

Absolutely wonderful, in so many ways, to be given the marvelous honor of touching an Amicitia, and to be given said trust. And so, so dearly appreciated… 

Ignis kept the finger gently pressed in the same spot for a few moments, before he used the fingertip to very slowly and barely touching at all start tracing the curve line of the feather drawn in there. He followed it slowly until it was covered under the line of another feather. His fingertip caressed onto it like it was the continuation, and deviated to the left when he found another line. The minutes passed as Ignis continued with what had become his morning ritual, tracing Gladio’s tattoo with a fingertip. He paid close attention to feel every millimeter of skin, every pore under his touch, and closed the eyes as he did. His finger continued and he half-opened an eye sometimes just to make sure he was going in the correct direction, but mostly kept the eyes closed. He was trying to complete his mental map, so that he could see the tattoo even without seeing, only out of memory. 

Ignis opened the eyes after a moment, smiling widely. Gods, he loved Gladiolus’ tattoo so dearly. It was such a huge part of Gladio, a very beautiful visual but an even more beautiful concept; it held part of his essence, his family, his purpose of life. Gladio was not Gladio without his tattoo. The adviser sighed yet again and continued looking at it, tracing it with the fingertip, apparently distractedly, but focusing. Gladio’s breath had gone quieter, and he shifted slightly in his sleep. Ignis had started to know Gladio’s early morning persona a little better, and that was a sign to know the Shield was starting to wake up. Ignis, however, continued tracing through his tattoo, the fingertip drawing every feather with invisible ink over the visible one. He was counting the feathers, and lost count at fifty-three. 

The adviser continued smiling all the while as his finger followed the lines. He saw Gladio move a little in his sleep when Ignis’ finger reached the lowest part of the tattoo, at the shield’s lower back, one of the most erogenous zones of his body. Ignis smiled more widely and contained a little laugh, and decided to not touch there too much or for too long, and his finger got away only to find another line to land on somewhere between the shoulder blades.  
He only got to trace a few more feathers before Gladio’s shoulders moved, his breath calmed and he sighed, and he started coming awake. Ignis did not take the finger off him and only waited, giving his boyfriend the time he needed. A few minutes later of slowly coming awake, Gladio moved the shoulders again and started rolling onto his back. Ignis did withdrew the finger before it was trapped between the mattress and the boulder that his boyfriend was, and widened his smile while watching the Shield land on his back and take even more moments to wake up.

Soon, Gladio was moving the fists up to his eyes to rub the sleep away. Ignis, on the meanwhile, rested the same fingertip on Gladio’s chest, on more lines of his tattoo. The Shield either did not process it or did not care, as he offered no complaints or reaction and only continued rubbing his eyes, dropping his arms on his face and staying half-asleep for a few more minutes, or sighing to come awake.  
Finally, after he was able to mostly come awake, Gladio rolled onto his side so he was facing Ignis, and the adviser put his finger away, looking at his boyfriend. Gladio’s hand softly but firmly found his hip and caressed it, his long fingers resting on the beginning of the curve of his boyfriend’s butt.  
“Morning” he lazily greeted with a hoarse voice, dry from the lost of moisture from the previous night, and still rather sleepy. Gladio looked at him with half-opened and dirty eyes and a sleepy but sincere smile. The sight was beautiful, at least to the adviser, and it made him smile back.  
“Good morning” Ignis greeted back and put the hand down so he could rest the head on the pillow again instead of holding its weight on his palm.

“You were touching me again without my consent” Gladio told him with the same sleepy voice and a hint of playfulness in it. “You perverted man.”  
“I think I almost have it now” Ignis told him quietly. “The map.”  
“The map?”  
“My mental map…” Ignis moved a fingertip up and drew an invisible curve on the air. “I’m memorizing your tattoo, so that I can see it even when I’m not seeing it. So that I can trace it from heart without having to look.”  
“Really?” Gladio asked him as his smile grew wider. He was able to open the eyes a little more by now, more conscious with each second. He stared at Ignis sweetly and felt a nice and warm puddle spill in his heart, and he, like every single morning, fell in love with the adviser again. “It’d be interesting. One day let’s make the experiment; we blindfold you, you dip the finger in paint, and you trace the tattoo, see how much of it you get right.”  
“Oh, so blindfolding has _other_ uses?” Ignis asked him with the same hint of playfulness in the voice. He smiled when Gladio lowly laughed.

Gladio continued grinning as he moved up and closer to be half-hovered over Ignis, leaning down to press his lips against the adviser’s. The younger man closed the eyes and kissed back, a hand moving up to find Gladio’s chin. His fingers shyly touched the itchy beard as their mouths moved together, lips capturing one another, letting go and coming to lock again. After some more kissing, Gladio broke apart only to stop, but his lips still ghosted on Ignis’. He kept the eyes closed, adoring the sensation of breathing the same air than his boyfriend, and reached for a little peck.  
“You know, I can still feel you…there, inside me” Gladio whispered to him without opening the eyes. He moved a hand up and his fingertips caressed Ignis’ face. When he opened the eyes, he found the adviser’s cheeks subtly blushing red, and his lips smiling.  
“I told you to get a shower to clean that” Ignis whispered back, and let Gladio brush away some locks of his messed-up hair from his forehead.  
“I didn’t say it was a bad sensation” Gladio replied with a growing smile, and Ignis’ cheeks burnt noticeably this time. The adviser hated it whenever the Shield made him blush, and Gladio knew it, so he laughed lowly when Ignis snapped the head to a side and tried shoving the Shield away of his face. 

Gladio let himself be moved away, and he rolled back onto his back, head going back to the pillow. He sighed and growled lowly, closing the eyes and resting again. Ignis gave him a few moments to recover from waking up, adoring the little grunts and the way Gladio stretched without standing or sitting up. Ignis rolled on his side and put the head on a hand again, staring at Gladio once more. At his vulnerable Amicitia recently woken up, and lying in bed, nude, only half the body hidden under the sheets, and beautiful, at his side.  
“Since when are you awake, Ignis Scientia?” Gladio asked after a few moments of rubbing his own eyes and a little sigh. He let go of his face and turned to look at his boyfriend. “And why are you not touching me anymore?”

Ignis laughed very lowly and got closer. He moved up so he could hover over Gladio this time, and gave him a sensual but not heavy kiss. Only this adviser knew how to make of a peck something arousing. Gladio moved a hand up to land on his boyfriend’s waist, softly.  
“Somebody woke up feeling horny, I presume” Ignis said lowly with the face at mere inches from his boyfriend’s.  
“You’ve been touching me while I sleep” Gladio replied and smiled at him. “It’s not my fault.”  
“It’s not my fault that you’re so stupidly stunning, my dear” Ignis said with a playful grin that Gladio mirrored. The adviser gave him another little peck and used a hand to caress the Shield’s cheek. “What else am I supposed to do? I wake up early and there’s you for me to admire. Of course I’m tempted to touch.”  
“I’m not complaining, my heart” Gladio replied and closed the eyes as Ignis leaned down to kiss him again. 

After some kisses, Ignis soon properly climbed on top of him to be more comfortable, and straddled Gladio’s waist, without breaking apart. His legs tangled a bit in the sheets that half-covered them, but he paid no attention. His lips focused on Gladio’s, catching them, soaking them and tasting like it was the first time he ever kissed and wanted to study the sensation. Gladio’s hands found their place on his boyfriend’s thighs, slowly caressing them up and down in slow motions. The kisses started getting heavier and slower, and their mouths started opening more with each kiss that was given. When Ignis pressed closer to him and sneaked the tongue into the Shield’s mouth, Gladio’s hands slowly moved up until finding the other’s hips and stayed there. Their tongues rolled against each other, lips roughly collided, and teeth started joining in the dance. 

Minutes went by and the morning started with the couple greeting each other good morning that way, rather unexpectedly, but unable to stop or refrain. They had no reasons to do such a thing, and let the flow go on.  
After long moments of kissing and whispers, some caresses, teasing, and a few bites, after permission was asked and given, and after some lazy preparation, Gladio had finally slipped a pair of fingers inside his boyfriend. Ignis sighed tremblingly at each movement inside and softly bucked the hips. The Shield praised him and looked at him while the adviser focused on his own pleasure, still hovered over Gladiolus, legs spread at the sides of his boyfriend’s hips and body thrusting back slowly and onto the other’s fingers. Lying as he was with Ignis on hands and knees on top of him, Gladio was in a disadvantaged position where he could not push his fingers as deep as he wanted, but Ignis was loving as little as he was getting, and the Shield adored looking at him. He adored that it worked as teasing as well, when Ignis’ expression transformed from content to hungry. It was then that Gladio knew it was suddenly not enough for Ignis, but he did nothing to fix that for a moment.

Instead, he asked Ignis to tell him what was wrong, why the sudden change of mood and why he did not seem as content. The adviser denied anything, but the Shield knew his ways through his mind and his body, and moments later the had Ignis asking him for what he wanted, where, how and how much he wanted it. Gladio listened to him, teased a little longer, and adored of his boyfriend’s shaky breaths and occasional moans as he continued thrusting back on Gladio’s fingers, looking for that ‘More’ that he needed and could not find, and loving the sound of dissatisfaction that Ignis made when he pulled the fingers out, but adoring so dearly more the high pitched but very soft moan that slipped past Ignis’ lips when the head of Gladio’s cock entered him.

At first, the Shield had intended to have Ignis do all the job for him, but Ignis requested he took the top. Once Ignis, sat on him and controlling the pace, had adjusted and gotten used to him, Gladio brought him down only so that he could roll them around, without exiting his boyfriend, so that it was Ignis resting on the bed with the Shield on top of him.

Ignis rounded him with legs and arms, and moved the head to a side to expose the neck for Gladio to eat from as he wished. He hugged the Shield by the shoulders and rested the palms flat on his back. Ignis opened the mouth and he closed the eyes, shivering and muttering a small curse when his boyfriend kissed right on the exact spot of his neck that drove him crazy, and felt Gladio starting to slowly but steadily move the hips. 

He opened the eyes again and let his own hands wander on Gladio’s strong, so architectonically beautiful back. For a moment, he let a few fingertips find some of the lines of the tattoo, without needing to look, and traced them slowly and softly, moving down along them as best as he could remember, while Gladio continued rolling the hips against his, until he reached his boyfriend’s lower back. Ignis laid the palms flat there and teased with the fingertips, which earned a breathless curse from the Shield into his ear. Ignis smiled and breathed in synchronicity with him, heavier with each thrust. Apparently motivated from the previous gesture, Gladio’s hips gained speed and the Shield focused, shaking any hint of early morning laziness away to start moving as only he knew how to do it; steady and good, trading speed for strength.

Some moments into it, Ignis started moaning every now and then. He let Gladio move as he pleased, let the man talk against his lips before licking them, answered to his dirty questions with dirty answers or with little moans when he could not formulate words, and let him kiss and lick as he pleased where he could reach, hips doing the opposite to stopping and only gaining more speed and energy with every thrust.  
At some point Gladio buried the face in the crook of Ignis’ neck again, and the adviser hugged him again, hands flat on the Shield’s back, caressing it, adoring it, tracing his mental map and adoring of the skin against his hands.

It was rare to be given the opportunity to touch an Amicitia, but this sort of touching was even rarer. And Ignis and only him had been given that honor.  
Usually, Ignis did not like possessive pronouns, but sometimes he could not help the pride to know himself, him among millions and millions of people, not having become an owner but something even better; chosen as _partner_ , by an Amicitia. Him, among everybody else.  
Adoring the weight of _his_ Amicitia on top of him and adoring him regardless of any name or title, adoring him with all his heart and the strings of his soul, Ignis hugged him and called out his name, digging his short fingernails on the traces of the tattoo, and adored this Gladiolus, the one of the early hours of the morning, before the sun had finished rising, before the birds had started singing, before he had showered, eaten, dressed or done anything at all, because this was the most natural that he could get to be; a Gladiolus in his natural and most vulnerable state. 

Ignis smiled while hugged to his boyfriend and closed the eyes.  
“ _My_ Amicitia” he whispered to his boyfriend’s ear while Gladio thrusted back and forth inside him, and loved the little shaky breath of response. “I love you…”  
His words were followed a few seconds later by a little moan when Gladiolus pushed deeper inside, a small breathed moan slipping past the Shield’s lips as well, hips moving at an even and normal pace, not rushing. It was early in the morning; why rush? They had time.

Gladiolus moved slightly up, grounding a forearm and a hand at the sides of Ignis’ head, staring down at him with lust and affection in the same brown gaze. Ignis looked up at the imposing, dominant figure, and only closed the eyes when his boyfriend moved down to lock their mouths together.

As the Amicitia on top of him gained strength in each thrust, Ignis hugged him tighter with the legs and dug the nails a little more in the traces of his tattoo, that he did not require to look at to see, and quietly moaned into his mouth.

Finally, the birds started singing, but Ignis did not hear them.


End file.
